Hand-grenade.



L. L. BILLANT- HAND GRENADE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, m6.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. L. BILLANT.

HAND GRENADE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1916.

1,21'?,556. Patented Feb. 27,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- LOUIS LEON IBILLANT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

HAND-GRENADE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application filed April 18, 1916. Serial No. 91,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS LnoN BILLANT, a citizen of the French Republic, and residing at Paris, in France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand- Grenades, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved percussive hand grenade having an automatic stabilizer and disengagement acting upon release.

A plurality of constructional forms of said grenade are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a section of one constructional form, showing the explosive, the detonator and the percussion pin.

Fig. 2 illustrates the percussion pin and the safety device in detail.

Fig. 3 shows the complete grenade provided with the safety device in its effective position.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modification'of arrangement of the wings or empennage, the raising of which is efiected automatically under the action of a spring, in the armed position.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the grenade comprises a casing (a) adapted to contain powder and shrapnel bullets, the shape of which is such that it presents a preponderance of weight toward the nose (6) and as small a weight as possible at the upper or tail part; the stabilization is completed by a kind of tail which may be formed by a string (is) with or without a mass of any shape at the end, a ribbon or the like, even a tail of rigid and light material (for instance wood) or any other material, may be provided; this tail may also be used as a means for throwing the grenade.

The percussion system may be mainly constituted either by a primed detonator (a) or by a simple detonator with a primer, located and tightly driven into a tube (d); or else by a percussion pin connected with a small mass or pellet (e) sliding in the tube ((2) and in a nut (g) screwed upon the upper part of the grenade (a), the travel of said pin being limited by a pin (7) passing through a slot (f) formed in the mass, or other similar means. A shock-absorbing spring (1') avoiding detonation upon aslight s ock, is located between the detonator and the small mass or pellet. The whole of the system may be inverted: the percussion pin may be stationary and the detonator be connected to the small mass or pellet.

The safety system is constituted by a safety cam (71.) with a lever (z') pivoting at (j) on the top of the head of the pellet and malntaining the same rigidly at the top of its stroke when the lever is folded back against the body of the grenade (Fig. 3). The disengagement of the said eccentric is obtained upon launching by the resistance to a 1r by the tail (k) of the grenade (string or ribbon) secured to the end of the lever (11). The string (k) is connected to a cap or casmg (Z) with which the grenade and the safety device are covered, for instance, for transporting purposes; Fig. 3 shows this arrangement.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the arm (11) is replaced by a metallic member (2") forming a cap, with one or two safety cams (71 which is extended in the form of a spoon to bear against the body of the grenade (nonoperative position shown in full lines) and which is maintained on the grenade by aclosure seal (m) combined with a string (n). The tail (0) of the wing arrangement or empennage is formed by a ribbon attached at (0') and terminated by a ballast or weight (p), the whole being located in the spoon and applied to the body of the grenade in the position of rest.

Fig. 4 shows the position of the member (2") in dotted lines when the grenade is armed or operative, a position which is obtained automatically when the closure seal has been broken, by means of a coiled spring 7 (1') wound upon the axis of rotation of the empennage (2") between the branches of the head of the pellet (e) this spring bears on the one end in the interior of the member (11) and, on the other, on a cross pin (8) secured to the upper part of the pellet.

After launching, the whole of the empennage and of the ribbon tail stabilize the grenade and guide the same upon its path in such a manner that it moves with the base of its pear-shaped portion forward, and the percussion of the pellet takes place effectively when the grenade comes into contact with an obstacle,'producing the explosion of the grenade.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A hand grenade of the character described comprising in combination with a pearshaped casing containing the explosive, and ing said tail upon the rupture of said seal,

a percussion system, a safety system comsubstantially as described. 10 prising a safety cam adapted to hold the per- In testimony whereof I afiix m signature cussion system inactive when the grenade is in presence of two Witnesses.

5 not to be used, means connected to said cam LOUIS LEON BILL ANT for launching the grenade, a tail or empen- Wit nage, a seal for maintaining said tail in its VICTOR PRI JVOsT, inoperative position, and a spring for i'ais- CHAS. P. PRESSLY. 

